Is the Gender Gap Persistent in America? - Research Paper

Introduction

The main forms of equality that exist in America include race, religion, social class, and gender. The gender gap has narrowed significantly over the years, but the other social gaps still contribute to the persistence of the gender gap. America's social and legal framework have been structured to ensure that gender inequality is eliminated in the country's system. Equal gender representation has however not been achieved in America's workforce as well as on the political arena. It is 2019, and the gender gap still exists in America despite the consistent diminishing rate.

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Gender Gap's Chronology

Women's uprising in America started in the early 1900s when they championed for their rights to vote. The Women's Right Movement, which operated in1848-1920 played a vital role in ensuring women enjoyed equal rights across the country (House). Signed petitions, speeches, and sporadic parades were the order of the day as women tried to have their voices heard. Years after the movement had established their will, the Equal Rights Movement was introduced in 1923 but was defeated which proved that the gender gap was an existing issue (House). The failure did not demoralize the men and women who believed that women deserve equal rights as men. The United States government adopted the Equal Pay Act in 1963 which was a significant step in ensuring that workforce equality was observed (House). The passed law addressed fair, rewarding systems, paid maternity leave and a hiring system that balanced both genders. Educational amendments in 1972 received massive support as educational institutions were ordered to avoid gender discrimination especially through admissions (House). All institutions that were funded by the federal government were supposed to offer educational opportunities that accommodated both men and women. Some of the sexual issues to be ironed out included sexual discrimination, violence and harassment. Three years later, the Public Law 94-106 required military academies to enrol women into the US Army. This law coupled with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 set the pace for the fight for equal gender rights. Modern America has progressively tried to eradicate the gender gap. However, there are existing issues that prove the gender gap issue still exists in America.

Gender Pay Gap

Arguments exist that the zeal in the 19th Century doesn't exist in the 21st Century which has led to the persistence of the gender gap. There are different formulas used to calculate the gender gap pay, but the generalized findings indicate that the gap exists. Organizations such as the Pew Research Center and Institute for Women's Policy Research receive wide audience since they are free from political influence. One of the reasons why the gender pay gap exists is because of the traditional career bundling that exists up-to-date. Secretarial, administrative, receptionist and clerical jobs which pay less have become a job area which women are clustered. On the other hand, men focus on a line including drivers, technicians and construction laborers which pay well especially due to the risk factors involved.

According to the Pew Research Center analysis conducted in recent years, women earnings average at 82% of what their counterparts earn (Graf et al.). Other findings by the Census Bureau have the figure at 80%, and the gap hasn't been reducing significantly for the last fifteen years (Graf et al.). Gender discrimination is still reported at workplaces, and this is especially regarding wage inequality. Men still earn more than women on the same job, while vice-versa cases are rear to come by. Besides cases of less pay such as limited promotions and isolation, biased interview processes are still common.

Motherhood is also seen as a noble reason as to why the gender pay gap will always exist. The family responsibilities at some point outweigh a woman's career path especially if benefits such as paid maternal leave are not available. Career interruptions are common for mothers than fathers in one way or another. Time offs become a routine for mothers, and this leads to less working hours, and this reduces the long term earnings. When the pressures of motherhood take over, they either turn down promotions, and to some extent, some of them prefer to quit the job. On the other hand, men take up more working hours to support the family. This is considered as the only natural and noble reason as to why the gender gap still exists. With a more consistent career, men are therefore bound to earn more than women and thus to contribute to the existing gender gap.

STEM-related courses and professions revolve around Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Stereotyping right from the academic levels discourages women from pursuing STEM-related courses. The foundation laid at this point sets up a career path that from the word contributes to the existence of the gender gap. Parents, relatives and the society at large unknowingly sustain the gender gap when they support an academic path that does little to narrow the persistent gap. The engineering field, for example, has witnessed 80% dominance by men, and this is one of the attestations that the gender gap still looms large in the USA (Graf et al.).

Introduction

The interconnectedness between academic choice and career path have derailed the fight against gender inequality. The right academic choice assures of a career as software developer, mathematician or clinical analyst, which are one of the best paying jobs. Societal stereotyping are therefore one of the reasons why women do not venture in STEM-related fields. Analysts, however, argue that some of these jobs require men's masculinity and the debate of gender inequality does not add up at this point. Most of the STEM-related fields are however for intellectuals and women should be encouraged to pursue them.

Underrepresentation in Politics

In 2018, the ratio of men to women stood at 3:1 in the American government (Report). Women are not well represented in the governorship and other legislative seats, and this is so across all the states. Women's political representation has declined by 11% in the last three years (Report). Some states such as Wyoming have a dismal 11% women representation in the political arena (Zillman). United States presidential election was a lifetime opportunity for a woman to hold the highest office in the nation. The bizarre findings much later revealed how Hillary Clinton was a victim of the widest voter gender gap. President Trump, on the other hand, received tremendous support, especially from white men. The elections were a test of how far the fight against gender inequality has come, and the results were clear; the gender gap still reigns in America's political arena.

The Gender Gap and Racism

The intersectionality of these two forms of inequality has been pointed out as one of the main reasons why the gender gap still exists. Women have been victims of discrimination and violence among other iniquities, but when the race comes in, it becomes worse. An African-American woman is more likely to be discriminated on both grounds as the two inequalities are almost inseparable at some point. In some instances, a white woman is superior to an African-American woman. The denial that these two inequalities exist has made it worse for women hence making it hard to combat the gender gap. Practices involving human trafficking and commercial sex are inclined towards women of certain ethnicities or race. Moreso, other social injustices like domestic violence and rape still exist, and women have been victims for a long time. Women, in general, are still battling with realities about abortions, and this is also one of the reasons why it is clear that gender inequality is a major concern. The existence of these social issues shows how the existence of gender gap manifests itself in American society.

Solutions to the Gender Gap

The gap manifests itself in education, politics and America's workforce. The basic solution to all these lies on the family setup. Gender inequality starts as a stereotype then in no time it develops into a culture that becomes hard to eliminate. On an advanced stage, the government has a role to play in creating awareness about the importance to embrace gender equality. Students need to go through awareness programs to help them make better decisions when selecting courses.

The Equal Pay Act was one of the progressive steps taken to ensure equal gender rights. Over fifty years later little has been done to build on the progress. Failure of the Paycheck Fairness Act for over ten times is an indicator that the gap could start widening with time. Women and men of like minds need to team up and ensure the previous efforts do not go to waste. The government should ensure that the existing laws are enforced and any offenses do not go unpunished. Education and training systems need to educate the public on how to curb gender inequality in America. According to the Global Gender Report for the year 2018, the United States of America ranks at position 51 (Report). The gap is alarming especially for a world leader where such issues are expected to be ironed accordingly. The government needs to move with speed and address societal issues such as abortion and human trafficking that targets women. The Department of Justice is supposed to align their laws with acts to ensure the set goals are achieved. The society, however, has a bigger role to play to emulate the likes of Sweden and Rwanda who have embraced a system that believes in gender equality. Men also have a role to play to support their counterparts especially since women have been unable to do it by themselves. The gender gap still exists and has widened in the last two years which makes it necessary to react to the situation before it is too late. Support systems from the government, religious factions, and independent bodies are needed to narrow the gap. Gender equality should be taught at home, fostered in our educational systems and practised in our workplaces and political arenas.

Conclusion

The fact that the gender gap still exists in America is quite baffling especially since measures to overcome it were implemented over three centuries ago. A level playing field has never existed in America, and that is why women continue to be marginalized. Racial discrimination tends to fuel the gender gap, and this problem is deeply entrenched in American culture. The younger generation might be trying to narrow the gap but the target behaviors picked from the seniors corrupts their reasoning at some point. The problem lies with the stereotypes passed down through generations, and this remains as one of the reasons why the fight for equal rights is almost one-sided. The theory of male chauvinism has been sadly embraced by the society and women who champion for equal rights are now branded as feminists. The attention has now been diverted from the real issues, and that is why the gender gap has been persistent for many years. The gender gap is not a myth, and the glaring evidence is a clear indicator that it still exists in America.

Works Cited

Graf, Nikki et al. "Gender Pay Gap Has Narrowed, But Changed Little in Past Decade." Pew Research Center, 2018, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/09/gender-pay-gap-facts/. Accessed 5 Feb 2019.

House, Mail. "The Women's Rights Movement, 1848-1920 | US House Of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". History.House.Gov, https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/. Accessed 5 Feb 2019.

Report, Insight. The Global Gender Gap Report 2018. 2nd ed., World Economic Forum, 2018, pp. 2-36, http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2018.pdf. Accessed 4 Feb 2019.

Zillman, Claire. "Hillary Clinton Had the Biggest Voter Gend...